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DOJ Asks Federal Court To Allow Texas Voter ID Law To Proceed – Find OUT What This Means For Texas Voters

The Department of Justice has filed a motion in a federal court urging it to withdraw its legal challenge to Texas’ voter ID law, arguing it will no longer discriminate against minorities, The Daily Caller reports.

The Justice Department said in its court filing that changes have been made to the original law in 2011 to address concerns on discrimination and should be allowed to be implemented without the U.S. district court making further legal challenges.

It was subject to several court challenges during the presidency of Barack Obama. Opponents of the state’s original law claim that as many of 600,000 voters will be excluded.

Critics said the law will make it harder for minorities, such as blacks and Hispanics to vote in Republican-controlled states. Minorities generally cast their ballots for Democrats.

The department said the state’s new amendment to the statute removes any “discriminatory effect” after it has eased some of the law’s requirements for photo identification.

The new law allows those who cannot produce an authorized photo ID to present other documents such as a bank statement or utility bill, then sign an affidavit showing they have reasonable impediment to present an authorized ID.